It has been the better part of a century since J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was first published and, yet, the fantastic world that the author introduced in that seminal novel continues to inspire fans and creators all over the world. Case in point, yet another new chapter in the saga of Middle Earth is in the works by the name of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
While this upcoming movie is obviously going to be a part of the cinematic franchise of Lord of the Rings movies that director Peter Jackson helmed, it will be an almost entirely new experience even for the most hardcore fans – not just because it will focus on unexplored territory of the mythology, but that it is also an animated film being made in the Japanese Anime style. Read on to learn even more essential facts that we know so far about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim — starting with when this journey begins.
What Is The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim Release Date?
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is currently set to open in theaters on December 13, 2024. In other words, it is is hitting theaters on our upcoming 2024 movies schedule a decade after the last time a Tolkien story was adapted for the big screen with 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — the third and final installment of Peter Jackson’s trilogy inspired by the 1937 novel that started it all.
However, the most recent title set in Middle Earth was the Amazon Prime original TV show, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which also has a second season in the works. Not to mention, The War of the Rohirrim is not the only upcoming installment of the popular fantasy franchise as there is also a new cinematic trilogy in development.
The Film Is An Anime-Style Prequel To The Original Trilogy
As we mentioned, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is being presented in a Japanese Anime-style. This will be the first animated film based on Tolkien’s Middle Earth saga since Ralph Bakshi’s feature-length adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy from 1978, which was released a year after Rankin and Bass’ TV movie based on The Hobbit.
The movie is also a prequel to Peter Jackson’s original LOTR movies, taking place more than a century earlier and following Brian Cox’s character, Helm Hammerhand, and the creation of the stronghold depicted in The Two Towers known as “Helm’s Deep.” In an interview with the LOTR blog The One Ring, Boyens said the film is, “not about the Ring, it’s not about the Dark Lord. All of that is very peripheral to the story.”
Brian Cox Leads The Voice Cast
The Lord of the Rings movies have always had the advantage of a talented ensemble of actors to bring Tolkien’s most iconic characters to life — such as Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf the Grey or Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cast will boast the same level of esteem. Take a look at the stars of the film (some of which have currently undisclosed roles) below.
Brian Cox (Helm Hammerhand)
Lending his voice to the lead role of Helm Hammerhand is Succession actor Brian Cox. Executive producer Philippa Boyens shared with The One Ring that just hearing her friends describe his performance in a 1987 stage production of Titus Andronicus led her to consider casting him as the ninth King of Rohan.
Gaia Wise (Hera Hammerhand)
Starring as Hammerhand’s daughter, Hera, is Gaia Wise, who made her acting debut in a small role alongside her mother, Emma Thompson, in 2008’s Last Chance Harvey. She reunited with Thompson seven years later for A Walk in the Woods and went on to make guest appearances in British crime dramas Silent Witness and The Chelsea Detective.
Luke Pasqualino (Wulf)
The War of the Rohirrim will mark the cinematic debut of a Tolkien character named Wulf, who has only previously been adapted for the online video game, The Lord of the Rings online. For the new film, the character will be voiced by Luke Pasqualino – a veteran of the fantasy genre, having starred on Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, and also known for his role as D’Artagnan on BBC’s The Musketeers, and for Crackle’s series adaptation of Snatch.
Shaun Dooley (Freca)
Wulf’s father, Freca, will be voiced by Shaun Dooley, who personally confirmed his involvement on X. The Saltburn actor is already well-versed in the high fantasy genre from his role in Netflix’s The Witcher cast as King Foltest of Temeria and multiple roles in Elden Ring – a video game created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin.
Laurence Ubong Williams (Fréaláf Hildeson)
Laurence Ubong Williams is voicing Helm’s nephew, Fréaláf Hildeson. The actor has appeared in guest roles in various acclaimed TV shows, including AMC’s Humans and Peacock’s The Capture. He was also in the HBO original film, My Dinner with Hervé in 2018 and a small 2021 horror film called Gateway.
Miranda Otto (Éowyn)
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cast also includes a veteran of the franchise: Miranda Otto. She is reprising her role as Éowyn but, this time, as the narrator of the story.
Other The War Of Rohirrim Cast Members
The War of the Rohirrim cast members with currently undisclosed roles include Bridgerton cast member Lorraine Ashbourne (who is also married to Gollum actor Andy Serkis), Yazdan Qafouri from Netflix’s I Came By, Belgravia: The Next Chapter star Benjamin Wainwright, and Michael Wildman, who played a centaur in the Harry Potter movies. Jude Akuwudike from Netflix’s Beasts of No Nation, Bilal Hasna (Hulu’s Extraordinary) known from, and Janine Duvitski (who made her feature debut in an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s poem, Jabberwocky), also lend their voices.
The Movie Is Not Yet Rated
We still have plenty of time before we learn how the MPA will brand The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. We expect it to be PG-13 like its live-action predecessors, but being made in the animated format could secure a PG rating, depending on how violent this war gets.
The Film’s Runtime Has Not Been Revealed
We also have plenty of time before we learn how long The War of the Rohirrim will last. If it is anything like Peter Jackson’s trilogy, it could wind up being nearly three hours and could even begat an extended edition later on.
Veteran Animator Kenji Kamiyama Is Directing
In charge of reinterpreting the world of Tolkien’s work with a whole new look is esteemed Anime veteran Kenji Kamiyama, who has been selected to direct The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.The legendary artist has a career that spans decades and includes one of greatest anime movies of all time, 1988’s Akira. More recently, he worked on an episode of the Star Wars anthology TV show spin-off, Visions; wrote and directed Adult Swim’s animated prequel series to Blade Runner, Black Lotus (which also starred Brian Cox); and served as head writer on Netflix’s hit anime series, Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045.
Someone with closer ties to Middle Earth than almost anyone else involved with the project is executive producer Philippa Boyens. The New Zealand native has been a frequent collaborator of Peter Jackson’s for years — most notably as one of the Academy Award-winning filmmaker’s co-writers for the LOTR trilogy and for the Hobbit movies. She also worked with Jackson and Fran Walsh on the screenplay for the 2005 King Kong remake, 2009’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel, The Lovely Bones, and 2018’s Mortal Engines.
On the downside, it does not appear that Peter Jackson is involved with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. However, in spite of that, with the talent that is involved, this highly anticipated movie could still be something really precious.
